Interview with Mallie Sizemore, February 18, 1979

Partial Transcript: This is an interview with Mrs. Mallie Sizemore for the Frontier Nursing Service oral history project by Diane Lewis on February 18th, 1979 at Smilax, Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Mallie Sizemore is introduced. She talks about the chores she did as a child. She talks about going to school, including how far away the school was, what she ate for lunch, and punishments in school.

Keywords: Arithmetic; Cattle; Chores; Cooking; Dishes; Gardens; Geography; Grade schools; History; Hogs; Housework; Learning; Lunches; Milking; Mothers; Reading; Schoolhouses; Sewing; Smilax (Ky.); Springs; Stock; Studying; Trouble; Water; Wells; Whipping; Work

Subjects: Education; Families.; Leslie County (Ky.); Rural schools--Appalachian Region; Rural schools--Kentucky; Teachers--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: When you raised the garden, what all did y'all raise?

Segment Synopsis: Sizemore talks about growing and canning food for the winter. She talks about the changes that have occurred to the area over the years including the building of roads. She talks about traveling including a time she went to Hyden as a child to go to the dentist.

Keywords: Building; Construction; Creeks; Cutshin (Ky.); Dentists; Differences; Gardens; Growing; Horseback; Roads; Smilax (Ky.); Travel; Vegetables; Wagons; Winter

Subjects: Canning and preserving; Food--Preservation--Appalachian Region; Hyden (Ky.); Traditional farming--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Do you remember when you first got electricity in here?

Segment Synopsis: Sizemore talks about when electricity, telephones, radio, and cars were first available in the area.

Keywords: Advancements; Automobiles; Battery radios; Cars; Creeks; Electricity; Horses; Mail; Music; News; Roads; Singing; Technology; Transportation; Trucks

Subjects: Radio; Rural electrification--United States; Telephone

Partial Transcript: If somebody got sick what did y'all do? I mean, did you have any doctors or anything--laughs--to go to?

Segment Synopsis: Sizemore discusses the local doctors and how people would get to them or how the doctors would come to the people. She also talks about home remedies that were used. She talks about the local midwives that were available. She mentions local elections.

Keywords: Doctors; Elections; Home remedies; Home visits; Home-made; Legs; Transportation; Treatment; Trucks

Subjects: Childbirth; Hazard (Ky.); Hyden (Ky.); Medical care--Appalachian Region; Medical care--Kentucky; Medicine, Rural; Midwifery--Appalachian Region; Midwives--Appalachian Region; Physicians--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Can you tell about--uh--that man that's supposed to been a witch--uh--that Joe--is it Joseph--man. Everybody talked about he's supposed to be a witch or something up here.

Segment Synopsis: Sizemore tells several stories about a local man that was said to be a witch, including a time that he got mad at his brother.

Keywords: Barn lofts; Brothers; Butter; Churning; Cows; Home; Magic; Witches

Subjects: Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: Ok, what about when the Indians--uh--

Segment Synopsis: Sizemore talks about what happened when Native Americans came into the local area.

Keywords: Arrowheads; Arrows; Bows; Burning; Camps; Destroying; Fighting; Fire; Hiding; Killing; Meat; Raiding; Starving

Subjects: Families.; Indians of North America

Partial Transcript: When you was little, what kind of games?

Segment Synopsis: Sizemore talks about the games she used to play as a child during recess at school. She discusses the locations and names of local schools. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Baseball; Building; Children; Construction; Fun; Kids; Larkin Lewis School; Moving; Playgrounds; Playing; Recess; Schoolhouses; Social activities; Social life and customs

Subjects: Families.; Games; Rural schools--Appalachian Region; Rural schools--Kentucky